Bloodstained heart
by mi-makoto-chan
Summary: When Usagi isn't well, Mamoru is the one who comforts her. Minor adult themes. AU, no senshi.


**AN: This was a very hard story for me to write. I hurt a bit when it got out. Also, this is by far my longest story (excluding A Love Like No Other, of course), for obvious reasons.**

**Inspired by the song "Bloodstained Heart", by Darren Hayes. In this story, there is no Sailor Moon or Tuxedo Kamen. Usagi is 20 and going to Pedagogy school. Mamoru is 26 and is a resident at a hospital, specializing himself in Psychiatry. I hope you'll like it. Please, R/R!**

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**Bloodstained Heart**

Desolated, she walked down the streets. Wiping her tears away and trying to cover it up with a fake plastic smile, she passed through the well-known doors and entered the Crown Arcade and Fruit Parlor. Stopping at the counter, she called her friend, Motoki, and asked for a vanilla milkshake. The blond guy knew what it meant. Vanilla was only ordered by the blue-eyed girl when things weren't one hundred percent.

"What's wrong, Usagi-chan?", he asked with a concerned tone in his voice. Even though she managed to fool everyone, he knew better. Something was definitely wrong with the usually bubbly girl. "Talk to me, please.".

"Nothing's wrong, Toki-chan. Why would it be?", her tone a little too loud, trying to cover up her real state. "Listen, that milkshake, can you have it to go, please? I promised to help mom with the chores at home." It wasn't true, for her parents and brother were traveling since the week before and were not to be back by another two weeks. Of course, her friends had no idea of that.

"Sure, sure. Usa, you do know that if you ever need to talk, I'm here, right?" Motoki winked at the blond girl and she smiled a cortesy smile while getting that milkshake she had ordered and paying for it. "It's on the house, Usa.", Motoki said when he gave her the money back.

She left, distracting herself in her own thoughts and didn't even manage to hear her mortal enemy, Mamoru, call her a Odango Atama. Said fact did not go by unnoticed and when he arrived at the counter and got his daily cup of joe, the dark-haired boy asked his friend what was wrong with the girl. "Beats me. She lied saying everything was fine, but I know it's not." Motoki started wiping the counter when he had an idea. "Mamoru, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what's up?", said the tall boy.

"Can you stop by Usagi's later tonight? I just feel something serious is up and I have this crazy feeling that she's gonna try something stupid.", Motoki said in a serious tone.

"Oh, sure. Text me her address. I have to go, my break ends in 20, but I'll be sure to drive by her house.", and with that, Chiba Mamoru left the building for his shift.

During his shift, the med resident couldn't stop thinking of a certain blonde girl with funny pigtails. He said they reminded him of odangos, hence the nickname. His feelings were very mixed about the girl. She was the only constant thing in his life. Being orphaned at the age of 6, he grew up all alone and learned to deal with that. Tsukino Usagi was the opposite. Loving mother, overprotective father, a bratty younger brother. Good friends, popularity. She had it all. The girl had cast a spell on him without her knowledge. She captivated him in a way that made him think about her when he didn't even understand why.

As soon as his shift ended, the man got into his car and drove to her house. He saw that there was no car in the garage, and only one weak light was on. Still, he had promised Motoki he would check up on Usagi and that was what he was going to do. He knocked on the door. No answer but he could hear noises. Someone was definitely inside the house. He knocked again, stronger. No answer. He opened the door and found what he didn't want to.

The always happy girl was lying on the sofa and the only thing he could really see was her arm. Blood drops dripping on the white rug. He felt like he had been hit by a subway but rapidly he acted, running towards her and waking her up.

"Usagi, please! Wake up! Don't do this to me!", he screamed desperately. Looking to the rug, he saw a very small bloodstain. She hadn't done it longe before he arrived.

"Leave me, please.", she whispered. And he did leave her, only to get his suture kit and mend her wounds. "Why are you doing this? I don't want to live anymore!", she said in the middle of her sobs.

Seeing such scene marked Mamoru, for she was the maximum ideal of happiness. She was everything he once hoped to be. "Because you deserve to live, because the Usagi I knew would always face her problems, never take the easy way out. Now, where are your parents?"

"Traveling with Shingo."

"And you're alone?"

"Yes."

"I'm staying here with you. I don't have to work tomorrow, so I'm also staying tomorrow. I'm gonna take care of you. Now rest. Tomorrow is another day" He hugged her like he didn't ever want to let go. "I'm here for you. You're safe." With that, he carried the girl to her bedroom and upon laying her on her bed, he lied there himself and they both fell asleep holding each other.

On the next morning, he woke up, went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast for the girl. Later, he got some pills for her, so her wound wouldn't get infected. Then, he proceeded to wake her up. She ate breakfast, took the medicine and looked at him. "Why were you here?"

"Motoki asked me to stop by. He correctly sensed you weren't okay. And I was worried too. I don't know what happened, but I want you to know two things. First, I'm your friend and you can count on me. Second, you inspire me. Your energy, your smiles, your happiness..."

"All fake. It's all fake."

"I know you. And for the past 3 or 4 months, they may not be the real ones, but what about when we met, 6 years ago? Was that fake too?"

The girl didn't know what to say. Mamoru was secretly the man she was always in love with. And all he ever did was argue with her. And now, listen to all of that. It was too much. She collapsed and started crying again, throwing herself at his open arms. "Shhh, it's okay. I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you.". They stayed like that for hours. Later, she decided to confide in him.

"All my friends are gone. Rei-chan is in a retreat. Minako-chan went back to London. Ami-chan's in Germany. Mako-chan is closer by, but it's still another city. And I'm the only one who's still here in Tokyo. I'm 20 years old, I should be working by now. I keep on blowing up my job interviews and college has been hectic. I'm failing all my classes. My parents are starting to hint at me that they want me to move out. And to top it off, the only man I have ever loved doesn't see me the same way. And who could blame him? I'm a mess. I'm a klutz, I'm a crybaby. I'm too fat. I'm not even pretty."

"Usagi, you're not a mess. I know that college life can be very stressful. I've been there. About your job interviews, maybe you keep blowing the up because you're too nervous. Try to relax a little before going. And I'm sure your parents don't mean that. Ikuko-sama loved having you around and Kenji-sama would rather keep you locked up in your bedroom for life. And what's this nonsense about you not being pretty, and being fat? You're an angel. I fell in love with you when you threw that math paper in my head..." Mamoru suddenly stopped, realizing he had just confessed his feelings for the girl. And she didn't even feel the same way, who could blame her? He was just an orphan. Marrying him would mean that her family would be dishonored.

"What did you say?", surprise echoing around her voice.

"Nothing?", he said, trying to hide what had escaped.

"You're in love with me. Mamoru, you have no idea..." Before she could confess her feelings for him, he told her they should not discuss this now, because the important was to make sure she was better.

Over the following six months, they went from enemies to best friends, seeing each other three times a week and talking on the phone several times a day. Her parents never knew of her suicide attempt (or anyone else, for that matter) and her life was starting to go much better. She had even gotten herself a job! She needed to tell Mamoru, so she called him.

"Hey you."

"Hey you. What's up?"

"I have some great news I have to tell you, Mamo-chan! Can we have dinner tonight? It can be a late dinner as well, if your shift finished late. I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if I slept at your place."

"Yeah, sure. I'll finish here at 10pm, you can go home before that, if you want."

That night, she arrived early (very early, just in case her cooking went bad so she would have time to cook a new meal for two). After cooking 3 different courses, she fixed the table for two, with candlelight and instrumental for the background. She intended on giving him the good news on the job and also confess her feelings for him. When he arrived, everything looked perfect. The blond girl was wearing a spaghetti black dress. Her hair was in a ponytail and she was wearing very little make up.

"Wow." The psych resident was impressed and shocked and speechless. When he saw her dressed like that, he wanted to grab her, pin her against the wall and kiss her until the end of the world.

"Mamo-chan? Are you okay?" Usagi was embarrassed with the way he was looking at her, but also worried, for he was never the one to go speechless.

"Usako, you're stunning. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." He sounded ashamed of himself for complimenting the love of his life. She laughed.

"Thank you, Mamo-chan" she gave him a peck on his cheek. "Now, let's eat before it gets cold!"

They ate the food, the salad and the dessert. It was delicious, Usagi had topped herself. And then she reminded what she had gone there to do.

"Mamo-chan. I have a few things to tell you. First of all, I want to thank you for going to my place that day. You saved me. And I want to thank you for being there for me when nobody else was. For following me down to the ground and helping me gather strength to get back on my feet. For loving me. Second, I am very proud to tell you that I am now an intern at the Juuban Municipal Daycare!"

"Oh my God, Usako! That's fantastic!" He was going over the table to give her a hug when she almost screamed.

"Wait! I'm not finished. Six months ago, you told me you loved me. And now, I have to tell you this, it was always you. Ever since that math test, you were the one I have always loved. You were the one who was in my mind. And if I couldn't be with you, I wouldn't be with anyone else.". Mamoru was shocked with what he had heard. She loved him! She. Loved. Him. Him. The useless boy. He was exulting on the inside and forgot to say something. "Please, Mamoru, say something. Don't leave me hanging."

Mamoru got up from his chair and went towards her chair. When he got there, blue met blue and all he did was kiss her. The sweetest kiss of his life. At first very innocent. But when she gasped for air, he put his tongue inside her mouth and their tongues started dancing there, caressing each other. Hunger was imprinted to the kiss. And they went in direction of his bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes along the way.

The next morning, when they woke up, she realized they were still naked and spooning. She felt as if she was in heaven and just lay there listening to his breathing. When he woke up, they kissed and he decided to do something he had always thought of doing.

"Usako, please. Come live with me. I know it's sudden, but I need this. I need to wake up with you every day for the rest of my life. I love you. And I want you to be my wife." He opened a drawer of his bedtable and got a velvet box. "I also knew it was always you. From that test ball on, 6 years ago, I knew you were the one for me."

The girl started crying and kissed him while saying 'yes'. "Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!" The couple laid there for the rest of the day, only getting up to get food, planning on the rest of their lives together.


End file.
